2016 SUBARU WRX Owners Manual

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Seatbelts
if damage is not obvious.
. Put children in the rear seat
properly restrained at all times.
The SRS airbag deploys with
considerable speed and force
and can injure or even kill chil-
dren, especially if they are not
restrained or improperly re-
strained. Because children are
lighter and weaker than adults,
their risk of being injured from
deployment is greater. For that
reason, we strongly recommend
that ALL children (including
those in child seats and those
that have outgrown child re-
straint devices) sit in the REAR
seat properly restrained at all
times in a child restraint device
or in a seatbelt, whichever is
appropriate for the child ’ s height
and weight.
Secure ALL types of child re-
straint devices (including for-
ward facing child seats) in the
REAR seats at all times.
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD
FACING CHILD SEAT IN THE
FRONT SEAT. DOING SO RISKS
SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO
THE CHILD BY PLACING THE
CHILD ’ S HEAD TOO CLOSE TO THE SRS AIRBAG.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seating
positions than in the front seat-
ing positions. For instructions
and precautions concerning the
child restraint system, refer to
“ Child restraint systems ” F 1-21.
! Infants or small children
Use a child restraint system that is
suitable for your vehicle. Refer to “ Child
restraint systems ” F 1-21.
! Children
If a child is too big for a child restraint
system, the child should sit in the rear seat
and be restrained using the seatbelts.
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front
seating positions. Never allow a child to
stand up or kneel on the seat.
If the shoulder portion of the belt crosses
the face or neck, move the child closer to
the belt buckle to help provide a good
shoulder belt fit. Care must be taken to
securely place the lap belt as low as
possible on the hips and not on the child ’ s
waist. If the shoulder portion of the belt cannot be properly positioned, a child
restraint system should be used. Never
place the shoulder belt under the child ’ s
arm or behind the child ’ s back.
! Expectant mothers
Expectant mothers also need to use the
seatbelts. They should consult their doctor
for specific recommendations. The lap belt
should be worn securely and as low as
possible over the hips, not over the waist.1-12

& Emergency Locking Retrac-
tor (ELR) The driver ’ s seatbelt has an Emergency
Locking Retractor (ELR).
The emergency locking retractor allows
normal body movement but the retractor
locks automatically during a sudden stop,
impact or if you pull the belt very quickly
out of the retractor.
& Automatic Locking Retractor/
Emergency Locking Retrac-
tor (ALR/ELR) Each passenger ’ s seatbelt has an Auto-
matic Locking Retractor/Emergency Lock-
ing Retractor (ALR/ELR). The Automatic
Locking Retractor/Emergency Locking
Retractor normally functions as an Emer-
gency Locking Retractor (ELR). The ALR/
ELR has an additional locking mode
“ Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
mode ” intended to secure a child restraint
system. When the seatbelt is once drawn
out completely and is then retracted even
slightly, the retractor locks the seatbelt in
that position and the seatbelt cannot be
extended. As the belt is rewinding, clicks
will be heard which indicate the retractor
functions as an ALR. When the seatbelt is
retracted fully, the ALR mode is released.
When securing a child restraint system on the rear seats by the use of the seatbelt,
the seatbelt must be changed over to the
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) mode.
When the child restraint system is re-
moved, make sure that the seatbelt
retracts fully and the retractor returned to
the Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR)
mode.
For instructions on how to convert the
retractor to the ALR mode and restore it to
the ELR mode, refer to “ Installing child
restraint systems with ALR/ELR seatbelt ”
F 1-24.
& Seatbelt warning light
and chime Refer to “ Seatbelt warning light and
chime ” F 3-14.
& Fastening the seatbelt
WARNING
. Never use a belt that is twisted or
reversed. In an accident, this can
increase the risk or severity of
injury.
. Keep the lap belt as low as
possible on your hips. In a colli-
sion, this spreads the force of the
lap belt over stronger hip bones instead of across the weaker
abdomen.
. Seatbelts provide maximum re-
straint when the occupant sits
well back and upright in the seat.
To reduce the risk of sliding
under the seatbelt in a collision,
the front seatbacks should be
always used in the upright posi-
tion while the vehicle is running.
If the front seatbacks are not
used in the upright position in a
collision, the risk of sliding under
the lap belt and of the lap belt
sliding up over the abdomen will
increase, and both can result in
serious internal injury or death.
. Do not put cushions or any other
materials between occupants
and seatbacks or seat cushions.
If you do so, the risk of sliding
under the lap belt and of the lap
belt sliding up over the abdomen
will increase, and both can result
in serious internal injury or
death. Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Seatbelts
– CONTINUED –1-13

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Seatbelts
WARNINGNever place the shoulder belt under
the arm or behind the back. If an
accident occurs, this can increase
the risk or severity of injury.
CAUTION
Metallic parts of the seatbelt can
become very hot in a vehicle that
has been closed up in sunny weath-
er; they could burn an occupant. Do
not touch such hot parts until they
cool. ! Front seatbelts
1. Adjust the seat position according to
the following procedure.
Driver ’ s seat: Adjust the seatback to the
upright position. Move the seat as far from
the steering wheel as practical while still
maintaining full vehicle control.
Front passenger ’ s seat: Adjust the seat-
back to the upright position. Move the seat
as far back as possible.
2. Sit well back in the seat.
3. Pick up the tongue plate and pull the
belt out slowly. Do not let it get twisted. If
the belt stops before reaching the buckle,
return the belt slightly and pull it out more
slowly. If the belt still cannot be unlocked,
let the belt retract slightly after giving it a
strong pull, then pull it out slowly again. 4. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle
until you hear a click.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull up on
the shoulder belt.
6. Place the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips, not on your waist.1-14

! Adjusting the front seat shoulder
belt anchor height
The shoulder belt anchor height should be
adjusted to the position best suited for the
driver/front passenger. Always adjust the
anchor height so that the shoulder belt
passes over the middle of the shoulder
without touching the neck.
To raise:
Slide the anchor up.
To lower:
Pull the release knob and slide the anchor
down.
Pull down on the anchor to make sure that
it is locked in place. WARNINGWhen wearing the seatbelts, make
sure the shoulder portion of the
webbing does not pass over your
neck. If it does, adjust the seatbelt
anchor to a lower position. Placing
the shoulder belt over the neck may
result in neck injury during sudden
braking or in a collision.
! Unfastening the seatbelt
1. Push the button on the buckle.
2. Allow the seatbelt to retract slowly to
avoid the seatbelt being tangled or
twisted.
Before closing the door, make sure that
the belts are retracted properly to avoid catching the belt webbing in the door.
! Rear seatbelts
1. Sit well back in the seat.
2. Pick up the tongue plate and pull the
belt out slowly. Do not let it get twisted. If
the belt stops before reaching the buckle,
return the belt slightly and pull it out more
slowly. If the belt still cannot be unlocked,
let the belt retract slightly after giving a
strong pull on it, then pull it out slowly
again.
3. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle
until you hear a click.
NOTE The center seatbelt buckle is marked
as “ CENTER ” .Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Seatbelts
– CONTINUED –1-15

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Seatbelts
4. To make the lap part tight, pull up on
the shoulder belt.
5. Place the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips, not on your waist. ! Unfastening the seatbelt
1. Push the button on the buckle.
2. Allow the seatbelt to retract slowly to
avoid the seatbelt being tangled or
twisted.
Before closing the door, make sure that
the belts are retracted properly to avoid
catching the belt webbing in the door. & Seatbelt maintenance To clean the seatbelts, use lukewarm
water with mild soap. Do not use the
seatbelts until they are dry. Never bleach
or dye the belts because this could
seriously affect their strength.
Inspect the seatbelts and attachments
including the webbing and all hardware
periodically for cracks, cuts, gashes,
tears, damage, loose bolts or worn areas.
Replace the seatbelts even if only minor
damage is found.
CAUTION. Keep the belts free of polishes,
oils, chemicals and particularly
battery acid.
. Never attempt to make modifica-
tions or changes that will prevent
the seatbelt from operating prop-
erly.1-16

Front seatbelt pretensioners The driver ’ s and front passenger ’ s seat-
belts have a seatbelt pretensioner. The
seatbelt pretensioners are designed to be
activated in the event of an accident
involving moderate to severe frontal and
side collisions.
The pretensioner sensor also serves as
follows.
. SRS frontal airbag sensor
. Side impact sensor (front door impact
sensor)
& Seatbelt with shoulder belt
pretensioner
NOTE This section is applicable to the dri-
ver ’ s side seatbelt. Front seatbelt pretensioner
If the sensor detects a certain predeter-
mined amount of force during frontal or
side collisions, the front seatbelt is quickly
drawn back in by the retractor to take up
the slack so that the belt more effectively
restrains the driver.
When a seatbelt pretensioner is activated,
an operating noise will be heard and a
small amount of smoke will be released.
These occurrences are normal and not
harmful. This smoke does not indicate a
fire in the vehicle.
Once the seatbelt pretensioner has been
activated, the seatbelt retractor remains
locked. Consequently, the seatbelt cannot
be pulled out and retracted and therefore
must be replaced. NOTE . Seatbelt pretensioners are not de-
signed to activate in minor impacts or
in rear impacts.
. In cases of frontal collisions, the
following components will operate si-
multaneously.
– Seatbelt pretensioner for driver
– Seatbelt pretensioner for front
passenger
– SRS frontal airbag for driver
– SRS frontal airbag for front pas-
senger*
– SRS curtain airbags (both sides)
(if an offset frontal collision occurs) *: This does not operate if the occupant
detection system deactivates airbag op-
eration. For details, refer to “ Front
passenger ’ s SRS frontal airbag ” F 1-40
.
. In cases of side collisions, the
following components will operate si-
multaneously.
– SRS curtain airbag (impacted
side)
– SRS side airbag (impacted side)
(when both the satellite safing sen-
sor and any of the center pillar
impact sensors/front door impact
sensors sense an impact force)
– Seatbelt pretensioner for driver
(when both the satellite safing sen-Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Front seatbelt pretensioners
– CONTINUED –1-17

Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Front seatbelt pretensioners
sor and the driver ’ s side front door
impact sensor sense an impact
force)
However, when a center pillar im-
pact sensor detects a signal faster
than the front door impact sensor,
or both sensors detect signals
simultaneously, the seatbelt preten-
sioner does not activate.
– Seatbelt pretensioner for front
passenger (shoulder belt preten-
sioner only) (when both the satellite
safing sensor and the front passen-
ger ’ s side front door impact sensor
sense an impact force)
However, when a center pillar im-
pact sensor detects a signal faster
than the front door impact sensor,
or both sensors detect signals
simultaneously, the seatbelt preten-
sioner does not activate.
. Pretensioners are designed to func-
tion on a one-time-only basis. In the
event that a pretensioner is activated,
both the driver ’ s and front passenger ’ s
seatbelt retractor assemblies should
be replaced only by an authorized
SUBARU dealer. When replacing seat-
belt retractor assemblies, use only
genuine SUBARU parts.
. If either front seatbelt does not
retract or cannot be pulled out due to a malfunction or activation of the
pretensioner, contact your SUBARU
dealer as soon as possible.
. If the front seatbelt retractor assem-
bly or surrounding area has been
damaged, contact your SUBARU dealer
as soon as possible.
. When you sell your vehicle, we urge
you to explain to the buyer that it has
seatbelt pretensioners by alerting the
buyer to the contents of this section.
WARNING. To obtain maximum protection,
the occupants should sit in an
upright position with their seat-
belts properly fastened. Refer to
“ Seatbelts ” F 1-11.
. Do not modify, remove or strike
the front seatbelt retractor as-
semblies or surrounding area.
This could result in accidental
activation of the seatbelt preten-
sioners or could make the sys-
tem inoperative, possibly result-
ing in serious injury. Seatbelt
pretensioners have no user-ser-
viceable parts. For required ser-
vicing of front seatbelt retractors
equipped with seatbelt preten-
sioners, consult your SUBARU dealer.
. When discarding front seatbelt
retractor assemblies or scrap-
ping the entire vehicle due to
collision damage or for other
reasons, consult your SUBARU
dealer.
& Seatbelt with shoulder belt
and lap belt pretensioners
NOTE This section is applicable to the front
passenger ’ s side seatbelt.
1) Seatbelt retractor assembly (shoulder
belt pretensioner)
2) Lap belt pretensioner
On the front passenger ’ s side, the1-18

shoulder belt pretensioner is supplemen-
ted by a lap belt pretensioner, which is
located at the base of the center pillar.
Like the shoulder belt pretensioner, the lap
belt pretensioner instantaneously pulls in
the belt to eliminate slack if a certain level
of frontal or side collision force is detected.
As a result, the seatbelt restrains the front
seat occupant more effectively.
When a seatbelt pretensioner is activated,
an operating noise will be heard and a
small amount of smoke will be released.
These occurrences are normal and not
harmful. This smoke does not indicate a
fire in the vehicle.
Once the seatbelt pretensioner has been
activated, the seatbelt pretensioner re-
mains locked. Consequently, the seatbelt
cannot be pulled out and retracted and
therefore must be replaced.
NOTE . Seatbelt pretensioners are not de-
signed to activate in minor impacts or
in rear impacts.
. In cases of frontal collisions, the
following components will operate si-
multaneously.
– Seatbelt pretensioner for driver
– Seatbelt pretensioners for front
passenger (shoulder belt preten- sioner only)
– SRS frontal airbag for driver
– SRS frontal airbag for front pas-
senger*
– SRS curtain airbags (both sides)
(if an offset frontal collision occurs) *: This does not operate if the occupant
detection system deactivates airbag op-
eration. For details, refer to “ Front
passenger ’ s SRS frontal airbag ” F 1-40
.
. In cases of side collisions, the
following components will operate si-
multaneously.
– SRS curtain airbag (impacted
side)
– SRS side airbag (impacted side)
(when both the satellite safing sen-
sor and any of the center pillar
impact sensors/front door impact
sensors sense an impact force)
– Seatbelt pretensioner for driver
(when both the satellite safing sen-
sor and the driver ’ s side front door
impact sensor sense an impact
force)
However, when a center pillar im-
pact sensor detects a signal faster
than the front door impact sensor,
or both sensors detect signals
simultaneously, the seatbelt preten-
sioner does not activate.
– Seatbelt pretensioner for front passenger (shoulder belt preten-
sioner only) (when both the satellite
safing sensor and the front passen-
ger ’ s side front door impact sensor
sense an impact force)
However, when a center pillar im-
pact sensor detects a signal faster
than the front door impact sensor,
or both sensors detect signals
simultaneously, the seatbelt preten-
sioner does not activate.
. Pretensioners are designed to func-
tion on a one-time-only basis. In the
event that a pretensioner is activated,
both the driver ’ s and front passenger ’ s
seatbelt retractor assemblies should
be replaced only by an authorized
SUBARU dealer. When replacing seat-
belt retractor assemblies, use only
genuine SUBARU parts.
. If either front seatbelt does not
retract or cannot be pulled out due to
a malfunction or activation of the
pretensioner, contact your SUBARU
dealer as soon as possible.
. If the front seatbelt retractor assem-
bly or surrounding area has been
damaged, contact your SUBARU dealer
as soon as possible.
. When you sell your vehicle, we urge
you to explain to the buyer that it has
seatbelt pretensioners by alerting theSeat, seatbelt and SRS airbags/Front seatbelt pretensioners
– CONTINUED –1-19